Getting Feedback on that Cover Letter for Galley Proofs!

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Richard H. McBee Jr.

Now that you have written that cover letter to send out with with the Galley Proof copies, you want to get feedback before sending it out to 500 pairs of critical eyeballs.

Bounce your cover letter off of a few close friends or your marketing editor with your book company to see what they think of the presentation. Remember once it’s in the main with a book, you want it to bring some business!
In my own case, after sending my letter to a couple of advisory friends, I got back the first comment.

“Why did you put that picture on the letter? Who is the guy and why is it there? It doesn’t do anything for me.”

“Well, uh! …Enough said…”

I got it off the page. That was the easy part. Now there was a whole bunch of white space to fill in and I needed something to attract attention and pull them in. A bit of meat on the hook about the book!

Fortunately the next friend’s comments came back with a really good suggestion.

“Why not take some of those first endorsements for the book that you got when you first sent out the synopsis? Some of them are pretty complementary and they show that someone else already sees your book through positive eyes!”

“Yes!” I say, ” I have some really good endorsements that didn’t go on to the cover of the book.”

As I paste several one or two liner’s into my blank white space I also realize that by doing this and attaching the endorser’s name and link; I may be giving them a bit of spin-off book business as well. I don’t think they will mind that at all!

It’s beginning to come to me that marketing my book is a lesson in applied salesmanship. If I can continue to work hard at it and keep positive and never give up (persistence is a key in both writing and sales), I will eventually succeed.

So if you’re out there reading this and haven’t had success yet, keep taking that feedback from editors, friends and more experienced persons in a positive manner and don’t give up. All of us can learn something new and that can lead to new successes.>)